A disabled killer whale that is missing two fins is able to survive in the wild with the help of its family, who hunt food its food. The young killer whale has no dorsal fin or right-side pectoral fin, leaving it unable to hunt for itself. But rather than be left to fend for itself or die, the whale appears to be cared for by members of its pod, which share their food with the youngster.

It is one of the few times that killer whales have been seen to feed and care for a non-hunting member. Underwater photographer Rainer Schimpf came face to face with the pod while the members hunted in waters off Port Elizabeth in South Africa. He said: ‘Incapable of fast hunting and ambushing prey it has to be dependent on the pod which, one assumes, looks after it very well.

‘It shows these mammals are not really just ruthless killing machines but they also have complex, caring social-structures in which they and care for their own disabled members.’
Mr Schimpf had been tracking the pod of seven as they hunted a Bryde’s whale – measuring 50ft (15m) in length and weighing a massive 15 tonnes.

Killer whales are known to hunt and kill larger whale species – but sometimes only eat the tongue, research has shown. The pod also included a female with a bent dorsal fin like the killer whale in Free Willy, a ‘huge male’ and four other females. He said the younger whale followed at a distance and appeared to have fallen behind.

In a Swedish fjord, European researchers are conducting an ambitious experiment aimed at better understanding how ocean acidification will affect marine life. Ultimately, these scientists hope to determine which species might win and which might lose in a more acidic ocean.
By peter friederici

The sea urchin is a doughty animal that can withstand cold and turbulent seas, eat almost anything, and defend itself from many predators — though not human gourmands — with its pincushion of tough spines. It’s one of the creatures that lured biologists to establish one of the world’s first marine research stations in 1877 at Kristineberg on Sweden’s west coast, for the sheltered Gullmar Fjord there is characterized by deep, cold waters that support a wide array of sea life.

Morgan’s sad story continues as Loro Parque (the captive facility where she is held) claims the young female orca is deaf and can therefore not be released back into the wild.

Morgan was taken from Dutch waters by Dolphinarium Harderwijk on 23rd June 2010, when she was found underweight and in poor health. The Dutch dolphinarium nursed her back to health, but refused to release her back into the wild. Animal welfare groups, including WDCS and newly formed Orca Coalition called for Morgan to be rehabilitated and released, but after a court case, Morgan was sent to Loro Parque, Spain, where she has now become part of the daily orca shows performing tricks for tourists.

Did offshore oil exploration play a role in the recent deaths of nearly 900 dolphins off the northern Peruvian coast? Peru’s fisheries minister said last week that government scientists had ruled that out as a possibility and that the dolphins probably died of natural causes. But a marine veterinarian and conservationist who examined many of the corpses contends they were probably harmed by sound waves from seismic tests used to locate oil deposits.

As we reported earlier this month, the dolphin deaths, which overlapped with a large die-off of seabirds, have been the focus of intense speculation in Peru and around the world.

The marine veterinarian, Carlos Yaipen-Llanos, who is president of the conservation group Orca Peru, said in an interview that necropsies that he and his colleagues performed on three separate expeditions indicated that the dolphins examined were bleeding in their middle ears and had suffered fractures there. They also had gas in their solid internal organs and severe acute pulmonary emphysema, symptoms consistent with death from decompression sickness — that is, the bends, he said.

In First-of-its-Kind Ruling, Judge Orders Release of Five Captive Dolphins

South Korea could be well on it’s way to becoming a dolphin-friendly nation. Like many other countries, it has captive facilities where dolphins are made to perform degrading tricks and live in unbearably small tanks. But a recent ruling on the case of five illegally captured bottlenose dolphins is making waves in the country’s animal rights, as well as animal industry, circles.

Pacific Land, a theme park on the south coast of Jeju Island, is an abysmal prison for it’s captive dolphins — 11 of which were illegally purchased from local fishermen between 2009 and 2010, according to local activists. Of these, five remain alive and on perpetual display in a tank that is smaller than an Olympic-sized swimming pool. When they are not performing, they are forced to live in an underground holding pool, meaning that these dolphins have been living for years without ever seeing natural daylight.

The good news is that last month the president and a director of the park, known only by their last names Heo and Koh, were found guilty of buying the illegally caught dolphins. The duo have been sentenced to eight months in prison, fined US $8,760 and – most importantly – ordered to release the five surviving dolphins back to their natural habitat.

The ruling is the first of its kind in South Korea, which had no animal welfare laws until 1991. It comes on the heels of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s order for the release and rehabilitation of a male dolphin at Seoul Grand Park, a major theme park in Korea’s capital city. The dolphin, named Jedoli, is one of the 11 Pacific Land had bought from fishermen.

Previous veterinary reports regarding the cause of death of two dolphins at a Swiss dolphinarium last November have been thrown in to doubt following the leak of a new report which suggests the animals died from the effects of a heroin substitue.

The original evaluation by the Institute for Veterinarian Pathology revealed that the use of antibiotics on two dolphins (“Chelmers” and “Shadow”) at the Connyland dolphinarium, Switzerland last November caused brain damage which then led to their deaths.

An investigation into procedures followed by the vets responsible for the two dolphins then began. However, the leaked report now suggests that the dolphins were probably killed by a heroin substitute placed in the water at a zoo after it hosted a weekend rave. If this were the case then the drug may well have interfered with the dolphin’s natural instincts regarding when to surfaces to breathe.

The dolphinarium had previously accused animal activists of poisoning the dolphins.